I was in Singapore in 1993, after a 14-year gap, so one of my classmates, Seok Leng, rang around and got a group together to have dinner with me. Ex-classmate Jong Long invited me to go round the corner to his new Europa pub, then offered me a lift home (to my sister's), but said he had to go to his other pub first en route to sort out a problem. At this second place, I was left sitting on my own, waiting for the lift home. Jong Long told his barman to serve me whatever I wanted. I asked for a pint of Guinness. As I sat there drinking it — a woman on her own, drinking alcohol — a local man kept looking at me, probably thinking I was a prostitute, touting for business. He approached me a few minutes later, tentatively starting a conversation: was I from Singapore, to start with. After a few more questions, I let drop that I was the boss's friend, just waiting for him to sort out his business. He moved away pretty quickly!
(Singapore, 1993)
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